Norwegian government respects decision taken by Nobel Committee, says envoy

New Delhi, Oct 15 (PTI) Days after US President Donald Trump claimed he deserved the Nobel Peace prize for stopping several wars across the globe, Norway's Ambassador to India on Wednesday said the Norwegian government respects the decision taken by the Nobel Committee, and will continue to support it in its work.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Norway's Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, said the Nobel Committee is responsible for selecting the Nobel Peace prize laureate and the Norwegian government is not involved in the process.

“The Norwegian government publicly respects the decision taken by the Nobel Committee. We will also support them in their work, and we will do that regardless of any political ramification it may have,” Stener told PTI, adding that the Nobel Peace prize is an international award, which is separate from any national political interest.

Venezuela's opposition activist Maria Corina Machado won the Peace prize that was announced on October 10, prompting the White House to accuse the Norwegian Nobel Committee of ignoring Trump’s contributions to global peace.

"The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace," White House Director of Communications, Steven Cheung, said in a social media post, hours after Machado was declared the winner.

Trump had made it clear that he deserved the Peace prize, claiming that he "stopped" several wars across the globe, including the India-Pakistan conflict in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was honouring Machado “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy".

Machado, however, said she wanted to dedicate the win to Trump, along with the people of her country, as she praised the US president for support of her cause. PTI ABU ARI